 Additional
Posts
This page might contain additional information from some of following sources:
Facebook Post - from my FB account
Email
Message - from my email account
Journal Post - from the journal our oldest son Shai is keeping |
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 Processing
Garlic Together
October 2, 2025 - This was an afternoon of
processing garlic for the garden together. We bought a lot and a couple of
different kinds this year. |
 Removing
Mud Wall
October 3, 2025 - Removing the wattle and daub
mud wall in the bathroom to get access to our bathroom from our bedroom. What a
mess and what a hassle. This was way more difficult than I thought. |
 Praying
Mantis Eating
October 7, 2025 - There was a praying mantis in
the backyard next to the well which caught ate ate a suzumebachi hornet. |
 Family Halloween
Costumes
October 31, 2025 - This was "the look" for this
year's Halloween party, the first at our Setouchi house. I was um, a heavy metal
rock star, Akiko was witch, Lael was a vampire, Ethan was a zombie, and Shai was
a zombie as well. Anyway, it turned out to be a fun night. |
 Halloween
Party
October 31, 2025 - Happy Halloween. We had a nice
Halloween party with our neighbors, the Idie san family. A lot of really great
food, copious amounts of alcohol, and a long karaoke session in the music room. |
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October 1, 2025 -
Journal Post - Putting in a lot of seeds and more excavator work
This morning dad and I headed out. The main goal for me today was to at least
get the pile of roof tiles into a hole. Dad's plan was to plant winter
vegetables in the garden.
Before I started up the excavator, I worked on taking the visible bamboo roots
out of the pile of dirt, and moved the "smaller" rocks around the pile of roof
tiles to the area next to the big tree. While I was doing that, dad was
rototilling inside the storage shed and parts of the garden. Once I was done
with the rocks, I told dad, and then started up the excavator.
I spent the entire morning working on prepping the area for the hole by taking
out all the bamboo stumps and any roof tiles in the ground.
Dad spent the morning filling the garden with various seeds such as radish,
carrot seeds, and even seed potatoes.
Once lunch was ready, we headed in, and that was it for the morning.
After lunch, we headed back out and continued what we were doing.
Dad kept making more beds and putting in more seeds, while I worked on digging
the hole for the roof tiles. Around 3:00 pm, I finished the hole. Because the
hole was too wide for the excavator to reach, dad had to come and help by raking
the roof tiles closer so I could scrape them into the hole. We kept filling up
the hole so I could move the excavator further and further in, until eventually
I was able to scoop the entire pile.
Once that was done, dad went back to putting in seeds.
Once I filled up the hole, I told dad and asked what I should do next. He told
me to work on taking out the bamboo stumps between the hole and pond, and that
is what I did. So I drove the excavator over there, and started digging up
stumps.
Dad came over and helped guide me on which to pull out. We spent a good amount
of time doing that until about 5:20 pm, and then we headed in for the day.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 2, 2025 -
Journal Post - Processing garlic but mostly a day off
Today is Yom Kippur, and because we do follow certain Jewish customs, we —
mostly — took the day off.
The only type of work we did today was mom and dad processed all the garlic they
bought. And by processing I mean separating the cloves into individual pieces to
plant in the garden.
Around 5:00 pm, Ayane and her grandmother came over just to say hi, only mom
answered the door, and they talked for a while until they went back home.
And that was it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 3, 2025 -
Journal Post - Taking down a wall
After we woke up today, dad checked the forecast, which said it would start to
rain heavily later on in the day. So we decided to stay in.
At first, dad was planning to do some work on the second floor of the garage,
but since mom was going shopping, he wanted to be easily available, so he
decided to work on the last mud, sparkly wall in the main toilet.
While dad was still outside, before mom went shopping, Mr Kuyama showed up! He
came over to talk and to give us some Japanese Chestnuts. After they chatted for
a bit, he was off. We honestly do not know how to repay that man for everything
he has done for us...
Anyway, once mom went shopping, dad spent the morning scraping the sparkly stuff
off the mud wall.
Once mom came home, she got lunch ready, and that was it for the morning.
After lunch, once some preparation was done, dad began to knock out the mud
wall. A process which seemed to be easier than expected, but still very hard.
Luckily, most of the wall was held up by bamboo mech, except for one vertical
thin vertical board, and three thin horizontal boards. It took the entire
morning of banging and transporting dirt, but mom and dad got it done. So there
is no longer any wall, and dad plans to connect the toilet to their bedroom.
And that was it for this dusty, dirty day.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 4, 2025 -
Journal Post - Setting up the toilet route and assembling some chairs
The forecast showed that it would rain today and so it did. So it was another
day in the house.
Dad spent the morning working on making a nice, safe path from their bedroom to
their toilet. This is possible because the previous day dad had taken out the
wall. So he set up the door between the laundry room and toilet, put some
cardboard to fill the gaps in the floor and ceiling, and moved some furniture
around.
And that was it for the morning.
In the afternoon, dad finished up the path to the toilet and then got to
assembling the chairs from our old table and chair set. That took basically the
entire afternoon.
And that was it for today.
October 5, 2025 -
Journal Post - A lot of work with our hands and the excavator
This morning, dad and I headed out. After moving some bits of wood scrap into
the other yard, we immediately got to work.
I fired up the excavator and started to take out the last of the poles in the
area between the well and pond. While I did that, dad worked on piling all the
bamboo stumps into a big pile.
Once I was done with the area between the well and pond, I got to work on the
area between the pond and concrete wall. I took out the stumps, and dad dragged
them to the pile.
That was basically all we did in the morning.
Once it was time for lunch, we headed in.
In the afternoon, dad and I kept doing more of the same until we had cleared out
a large area. I then drove into it and began to smooth it out using the dozer
part of the excavator.
Then I very carefully went along the concrete wall and took out any stumps or
roots. Dad helped by guiding me and dragging away the stumps.
Once that was done, dad and I just kept working on taking the stumps around from
between the pond and wall.
Around 5:00 pm, Mr Kuyama drove up with a cable, drill, and some attachments for
the scoop of the excavator. After a bit of time trying to find an outlet, we
finally plugged his drill into an outlet so he could unscrew the bolts holding
the current attachment. For some reason though, the bolts wouldn't budge. So he
had to pack up his tools. We talked for a while and thanked him profusely for
letting us use the excavator. Once he left, dad and I headed in and that was it
for this busy day.
The high for today was 85 °F (ca. 29.44 °C) and the low was 66 °F (ca. 18.89
°C).
October 6, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work in the pocket park
Dad had recently done some research on turning small urban or rural lots into
green spaces or parks, and apparently there is a whole history behind the term
pocket parks! So from now on, the "other yard" will be known as the pocket park
or parkette.
Dad and I headed out first thing this morning and headed straight into the
pocket park.
Before we began to work, Mr Takahara came over and gave us some Napa cabbage
seedlings! He had gotten them from a friend and couldn't use all of them.
The main thing we worked on in the morning was finishing up the area between the
pond and the wall.
Along with helping move the bamboo stumps, dad also worked on pulling the stumps
out of the piles of dirt.
When I was prying a rock out of the dirt, a snake slithered out. Specifically,
the Japanese Pit Viper. I yelled to dad what it was, and he came running over
with the hoe and well...you can guess what he did.
And that was pretty much it for the morning.
After lunch, dad and I finished up the area between the pond and wall.
Once that was done, the next thing we did was work on the area on the other side
of the wall next to the dog area. It took dads guidance and me moving very
slowly to dig out the dirt and pull all the bamboo stumps out of the ground.
When that was done, I worked on moving one of the piles of dirt into the corner
of the property.
Once that was done, I drove over next to the big tree, and that was it for
today.
The high for today was 89 °F (ca. 31.67 °C) and the low was 64 °F (ca. 17.78
°C).
October 7, 2025 -
Journal Post - Smoothing out the pocket park and getting ready for a big
burn pile
This morning, before any work happened, mom and the kids went out as they
usually do. However, they made a discovery today. Inside one of the plastic
containers we left out to fill with rain was a creature about 20 centimeters
long and had the thickness of a toothpick. Along with it was a dead praying
mantis. After a bit of speculation — and being grossed out — they deduced it was
a parasite. And after some research, it turned out to be a hair snake, which is
a type of parasite that use medium-sized insects — like praying mantises — as
their host.
Once I came out, I checked it out and got equally grossed out. Dad and I then
headed to work.
The first thing dad and I worked on was pulling out the roof tiles around the
big tree and smoothing out the area. Once that was done, dad and I moved on to
separate projects.
Dad spent the entire morning pulling the smaller roots and vines out of the
enormous pile of bamboo stumps. While he did that, I worked on moving the small
of the dirt piles into the corner of the property.
Mom went to the farm while we were working to do some weeding, trim the sweet
potato vines, and pick some bitter melon.
Once she came back, she started to make lunch.
While we were working, the kids spotted a praying mantis that had caught a
Japanese giant hornet and had begun to eat it. Dad got his phone and took some
videos of it.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, I finished moving the smaller pile of dirt and began to work on
moving the last — and largest — pile of dirt. Dad continued working on pulling
out vines and roots.
By the time I had finished moving the pile, dad had finished pulling out all the
smaller vines and roots. Dad and I then spent the rest of the afternoon working
on moving all the bamboo stumps into a pile that we could burn. We couldn't
finish by the end of the day, but we moved most of it.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 91 °F (ca. 32.78 °C) and the low was 69 °F (ca. 20.55
°C).
October 8, 2025 -
Journal Post - Burning the bamboo stumps, doing some finish work with the
excavator, and a guest over for dinner
This morning, dad and I headed out and headed straight into the parkette.
Mom went to the farm soon after we went out.
Once I fired up the excavator, dad and I first moved all the bamboo stumps into
a pile. Once we did that, I scraped the roof tiles out from around the big tree
while dad watched to make sure I didn't go too far. Then we placed the largest
rock on the side of the tree right next to the drop off onto the road, which was
a bit nerve-wracking to do.
Once that rock was in place, I worked on placing the other large rocks, while
dad worked on trying to set the bamboo stump pile ablaze.
At the farm, mom picked the popcorn, and did some weeding. When she came back,
she started to make lunch.
I spent the morning working on placing the rocks around the tree, and dad spent
the morning trying to burn the bamboo stumps.
Once lunch was ready, we headed in.
After lunch, dad finally got the pile of bamboo stumps burning.
Once I finished putting the main rocks, I worked on getting a few more roof
tiles out from around the tree. Once I was done with that, I began to scrape out
the slope that was next to the concrete wall so it would match up with the rest
of the slope and so it would be easier to use the weed whacker.
Dad kept working on the burn pile.
Once I was done with scraping the slope, I took all the dirt and dozed it over
to the corner. While I was doing that, Mr Irie showed up to give mom some
seedlings. Soon after he left, Mr Hamada came over to see what we were doing. He
talked with dad for a bit and then talked for a long time with mom.
Once all the dirt was in the corner, I began to scrape the dirt in the front
section of the property to make it level with the rest of the property.
While I was doing that, Mr Takahara and his assistant came over and talked to us
for a bit. I asked his assistant if she could come over really quickly when she
was done for the day because I wanted to give her something.
Dad and I kept working for a while. The last thing I did was move all the dirt I
had scraped into the corner of the property. Unfortunately, while I was doing
that, the excavator began to sputter and almost turn off. We deduced it was
almost out of fuel.
It was 5:20 pm when we headed in. I got a message from Akane saying she was
outside. So I went to go get her and then I invited her into the house. We all
talked for a while and gave her some sweet broiled chestnuts. Dad asked if she
had time to stay for dinner and she agreed! So we had dinner together and she
left around 9:30 pm.
And that was it for the crazy day.
The high for today was 92 °F (ca. 33.33 °C) and the low was 66 °F (ca. 18.89
°C).
October 9, 2025 -
Journal Post - More work on the burn pile, rock designs, and fixing an
excavator
This morning dad and I headed out. The first thing we did was test if the
excavator would turn on. So I turned it on, hoping it would work, but it
sputtered and turned off. It was definitely out of fuel.
So while dad worked on the burn pile, I worked on placing the rocks around the
big tree.
Eventually, with some mysterious psychic power, Mr Kuyama showed up with a tank
of fuel for the excavator. He brought the tank over, and I poured the fuel into
the excavator. At first, it seemed fine, but just as he drove off, it began to
sputter and stall and eventually turned off. We tried turning it on a couple of
times, but then the battery died. So mom and I had to go over to Mr Kuyama's
parking area/workshop to ask for help. When we got there, he wasn't there, but
his son was. So his son came over and checked out the excavator and confirmed
that the battery had died. So he took it to go charge it.
Dad and I kept working until lunch was ready.
Just as we finished lunch and were about to eat some fruit, Mr Kuyama drove up
with the battery and some tools. Mom and I went out to talk to him. The battery
was charged, but the excavator wouldn't turn on. Mr Kuyama spent some time
looking at the fuel pumps and eventually decided to take one of the filters
home. When he did that, mom and I headed in and quickly finished eating. Once we
were done, I quickly headed out and dad came out a few minutes later. By the
time I went out, Mr Kuyama had already come back. He put in the new filter, but
it didn't do anything. So Mr Kuyama and I spent a long time tinkering, and
eventually we figured out that one of the tubes had a leak. So we cut it clean
and tried turning on the excavator, and it stayed on! Dad and I thanked Mr
Kuyama profusely as he was leaving.
With the excavator up and running again, I worked on smoothing out the front of
the property while dad raked the other smoothed out areas. Once I was done with
the main section, dad and I worked together smoothing out the dirt and taking
out roots in the area near the wall.
We kept working until about 5:30 pm, and then headed in for the day.
The high for today was 91 °F (ca. 32.78 °C) and the low was 59 °F (ca. 15 °C).
October 10, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work on the burn pile, finishing up with the excavator, a lot
of raking, and our first sweet potatoes picked
This morning dad and I headed out. We immediately headed into the parkette. I
spent the whole morning on the excavator smoothing out the rest of the property,
and dad spent the entire morning managing the burn pile and raking where I had
smoothed out.
While we were out, mom headed to the farm. At the farm, mom picked the bush
beans, Asagao seeds, and our first sweet potatoes!
Once mom came back, she made lunch, and once it was ready, we headed in.
After lunch, I hopped back on the excavator, and dad got back to managing the
pile and raking. Since I had finished all the smoothing out before lunch, I
spent most of the afternoon consolidating and compacting the huge piles of dirt
we made in the corner. While I was doing that, dad kept on raking all the rocks
out of the spots I had smoothed out.
Just as I was about to finish compacting the last section, the excavator began
to splutter and eventually turned off. It was, once again, out of fuel. So I
hopped off the excavator and began to help dad with the piles of rock he had
raked up. He raked, and I used a bucket to transport the rocks to the top of the
dirt mountain.
Around 5:20 pm, Mr Kuyama came over and talked to us for a long time. We told
him about the excavator and apologized. Once he left, we headed in.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 91 °F (ca. 32.78 °C) and the low was 65 °F (ca. 18.33
°C).
October 11, 2025 -
Journal Post - The end of the excavator, a little work in the parkette, and
work at the farm
This morning, dad and I headed out into the parkette. Dad spent the entire time
working on the burn pile, once he had gotten it hot for his satisfaction, he
headed back into our property to do some gardening. While he was doing all that,
I was working on piling all the rocks we found neatly around the tree.
Around 10:30 am, mom headed out to go shopping.
While dad was working, Mrs Irie showed up. She began talking to dad, and
eventually they made their way over to the pocket park. We talked for a long
time until she eventually left. A few minutes after she left, mom got back from
the store. So once lunch was ready, we headed in.
After lunch, dad quickly watered his loquat saplings, and then we all headed to
the farm. The first thing we did at the farm was harvest a whole bed of sweet
potatoes. While mom, Lael, Ethan, and I worked on the sweet potatoes, dad worked
on taking the bamboo out of the ground that was holding up the net. Once he was
done with that, he raked up all the sweet potato vines that we had cut. We
harvested a few more meters along the other sweet potato beds to make room so we
could burn all the weeds and potato vines. We also pulled out all the popcorn
plants because they were done producing. Once we harvested all the sweet
potatoes we wanted, we loaded them up into the wheelbarrow. I had to take two
trips home because of the amount we produced. The second trip was also the trip
we all went home. Because dad wanted to use the bamboo in the burn pile that was
in the parkette, we all had to carry or drag some bamboo home.
Once we got home, dad and I headed into the other yard and worked until 5:00 pm.
And that was it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 12, 2025 -
Journal Post - Rototilling and weeding the farm
The first thing we did this morning was head over into the parkette to get the
burn pile going. Once we got it going, we headed to the farm with the
rototiller. While dad tilled the soil in where the sweet potato beds were, I
worked on preparing a burn pile with the cut sweet potato vines and all the
piles of weeds we had left from the last time we cut all the weeds. Once I was
done with that, I hung up all the net on the metal poles so they wouldn't get
caught in the weed whacker.
Once the section was tilled and the burn pile was ready, we headed back and got
the weed whacker. Once we returned to the farm, dad got the pile going and then
got straight to weeding. My job for the morning was to rake all the weeds dad
cut and to maintain the burn pile. By the time lunch was ready, dad had weeded
the concrete area, the back, and the side between our friend's house and the
farm.
After lunch, we headed back to the farm.
The afternoon was spent weeding the rest of the farm, along with our friend's
house yard. While we were working, our friends came over and gave us some drinks
and food as thanks for weeding their yard. We talked for a while, and dad
invited their kid over to play with Lael and Ethan. Later on, one of the owners
of the farm next to us gave us some fresh produce and thanked us profusely for
weeding their side.
Near the end of the day, Mrs Irie (Ayane's grandmother) came over and talked for
a long time.
Around 5:00 pm, dad and I headed back home. Except for a few tedious sections,
most of the farm was weeded. Once we returned home, we got mom, the kids, and
Lael's friend, and all headed back to the farm. Once we were there, Lael's
friend's mom came out and talked to us for a bit. And then we all headed home.
And that was it for this very busy day.
The high for today was 89 °F (ca. 31.67) and the low was 68 °F (ca. 20 °C).
October 13, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work in the farm and garden
Dad and I headed out first. We headed into the parkette and began to separate
the bamboo stumps that hadn't burned from the burn pile.
Eventually, mom came out and was planning to go to the farm, but before mom and
I went, dad cut all the vines off the sweet potatoes and had me transport them
to the farm with the wheelbarrow. Soon after I brought the first load to the
farm, mom came to the farm. Before I went to get the second load, I got the burn
pile going a bit more. Just as I was about to get the second load, Mr Irie
showed up. Mom and him talked for a bit, and he gave her some eggplant and
carrot leaves. Once he left, I went home and brought the last load of vines to
the farm.
Mom spent most of the morning cutting the rest of the sweet potato vines and
starting to hill up some beds. I spent the morning maintaining the pile, raking
up any weeds from yesterday, and smoothing out bumpy areas.
Around 11:30 am, mom headed home, but I stayed until 12:00 pm. In that time, I
worked on cutting the weeds and vines off the persimmon tree in the corner, and
worked on keeping the burn pile going.
While we were at the farm, dad had been planting various vegetable and herb
seeds into pots, and had taken the rototiller to the dirt in the storage
building.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad had me work on the burn pile in the other yard until mom was
ready to go to the farm. Once she was ready, we headed to the farm. At the farm,
I finished raking up all the weeds and smoothing all the bumpy sections, while
mom finished making three new beds in where the sweet potato beds used to be.
Once the beds were done, I put the hoops over them so we could drape a net over
them to protect the beds. While we were working, Lael's friend came out and
asked mom if it was okay if he went to play with him, and mom said yes. Because
it was around 3:00 pm, mom headed home. I stayed a little longer to weed the big
drain and consolidate the burn pile. Once that was done, I headed home.
While we were at the farm, dad had planted even more seeds in pots and had
watered them.
At home, while the kids played in the parkette, dad and I worked on the burn
pile in the parkette. Once it was 5:00 pm, Lael's friend had to go home. So we
walked him home and brought some sweet potatoes and persimmons to give to his
family. On the way to the farm, we saw Mrs Irie walking her dog. When she saw
us, she asked us to come over so she could give us some snacks she had gotten at
a festival the previous night. So we all went home, then mom filled a bag up
with sweet potatoes, and I took it over to Mr Irie's house. Once I got there, we
talked for a bit, I gave her the sweet potatoes, and she gave me some snacks. I
thanked her and headed home.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 90 °F (ca. 32.22 °C) and the low was 66 °F (ca. 18.89
°C).
October 14, 2025 -
Journal Post - Working on rocks, putting in garlic and some work at the farm
First thing this morning, dad and I headed into the pocket park to get the burn
pile going again. We spent about 30 minutes pulling out stumps and then putting
them back on to get them burning. Once we were done with that, I headed to the
farm to work on the other burn pile, while dad got ready to plant garlic in the
storage building. It took me a while, but I eventually got the burn pile going
at the farm, and once it was going, I headed back home.
At home, dad had begun to plant the garlic, and while he spent the morning doing
that, I headed into the pocket park to work on the rock design around the big
tree.
While we were working, mom and Ethan headed out for Ethan's dentist appointment
and to go shopping. Once they left, dad spent the morning planting garlic, and I
spent the morning working on the rock design.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad and I headed back out, and mom came out soon after. Dad spent
the rest of the day planting garlic, while mom and I headed to the farm. At the
farm, we worked on the burn pile, made one more bed, put up some trellises for
the runner beans, moved the marigolds, and harvested some vegetables and flower
seeds. Once mom and I returned home, she headed in the house, and I headed into
the parkette to work on the rock design.
Around 5:00 pm, I headed back to the farm to consolidate the burn pile in hopes
that we could keep some of the weeds dry from the rain that was expected to come
later into the night. Once that was done, I headed home.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 90 °F (ca. 32.22 °C) and the low was 70 °F (ca. 21.11
°C).
October 15, 2025 -
Journal Post - A lot of small projects finished, and a day out in the city
This morning, I headed out. Not to work, but I headed out on my bike to the
train station! My plan for the day was to spend the entire day in Okayama city,
and so I did. I ate lunch there, bought some stationery supplies, and took a ton
of photos. It was a lot of fun, but I couldn't wait to get back home to the
countryside.
While I was out, dad got a bunch of projects done. He finished putting the
garlic in the storage building, he cleaned the entry area, and just got a bunch
of little projects done. Mom also got a lot done, because her new net arrived,
she headed to the farm with the net and a bunch of seedlings. At the farm, she
planted a bunch of seedlings and covered them with the net.
I got home around 5:00 pm, and that was it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 16, 2025 -
Journal Post - Dismantling the burn pile, rebuilding the compost, and some
weeding
This morning, dad and I headed out. The first thing we did was some weeding.
While I weeded the rock area behind and in front of the house, dad did some
weeding in the garden.
When I was done with the weeding, I headed into the other yard. I spent the
entire morning cutting the vines and roots that were sticking out of the ground.
Dad spent the morning doing a bunch of little projects in the garden.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, the first thing I did was go and pick some persimmons from Mrs
Budo's tree (with her permission, of course). While I did that, dad worked on
doing some weeding in the upper area of the yard.
When I was done with that, I headed into the other yard to finish cutting the
vines and roots. Once it was done, I started to dismantle the burn pile, which
meant taking out all the bamboo stumps from within the ash and dirt and pulling
them aside. It took the entire afternoon, but I got it done.
Dad spent the afternoon weeding the upper area and the kid's play area. He also
built a rock wall off of my original rock wall.
While we were working, Mr Irie came over and gave us some seedlings!
We headed in around 5:00 pm, by then the entire pile was dismantled, and dad had
gotten most of the yard weeded.
The high for today was 86 °F (ca. 30 °C) and the low was 70 °F (ca. 21.11 °C).
October 17, 2025 -
Journal Post - A bunch of work in the garden, and finishing the rocks
This morning, dad and I headed out. I headed into the parkette and dad worked in
the garden. I spent the entire morning working on the rock pile next to the big
tree.
During the morning, dad put in the metal hoops around the garden to make it so
no one would accidentally step in. He also watered the garden and fruit trees,
and brought the big plastic tubs into the house.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, we headed back out. I spent the afternoon in the other yard working
on the rocks. While I did that, dad put in snap pea and green pea seeds, took
all the pots out of the storage building, and a bunch more smaller projects.
We headed in at 5:00 pm. By then, the garden was looking great, and I had
finished the rocks.
The high for today was 90 ° F (ca. 32.22 °C) and the low was 65 °F (ca. 18.33
°C).
October 18, 2025 -
Journal Post - Bringing home the kayaks, checking out an old house, and
being offered a boat
This morning, dad and I headed out. The first thing we did was prepare the
trailer to transport the kayaks, then we loaded the bags filled with the dirt
wall onto the trailer. By the time we were done with that, mom and the kids were
ready to head out. So we all headed out, hooked the trailer up to the truck, and
drove off to the beach shack.
Once we got to the beach shack, the first thing we did was unload all the bags
and then dump them along the wood wall. While we were doing this, Mr Morishita
came over and began talking to mom. They talked for a while, and somewhere in
the conversation, he told mom that he had an old boat he didn't want anymore and
asked us if we wanted to see it. Mom told him we would when we were done
working.
With all the bags dumped, dad and I loaded the kayaks onto the trailer, and any
extra kayak supplies into the back of the truck. With the truck packed, we went
over to go see the boat. Mr Morishita took us along to the pier where his boat
was parked. His boat was a 17-foot boat that could fit five people, and had a
fairly powerful engine. So we talked for a long time, asking a ton of questions.
We all kinda wanted it, but we would have to do a lot more research on all the
aspects of owning and driving a boat. Once we thanked him for showing us his
boat, we headed home.
Since it was almost noon, we decided to go buy lunch at the store.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, after getting some maps ready, we decided to head out and check out
a property dad had been eyeing. The reason he wanted it was because of the large
piece of mountainous land that was connected to the property. We first went to
check out the house, which was in shambles, and then we went to look for the
mountain. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find any access points to the
mountain. So we headed home with the final decision to not buy the property.
Once we got home, we headed up into the mountain on foot to find some chestnuts.
We got to a section with a big chestnut tree and collected a bunch. Once we were
done, we headed home
And that was it for this crazy day.
The high for today was 82 °F (ca. 27.78 °C) and the low was 66 °F (ca. 18.89
°C).
October 19, 2025 -
Journal Post - Staining the second floor of the garage
Today, due to the rain, only dad headed out. He spent the entire day on the
second floor of the garage staining. He almost finished staining the entire
second floor, but he ran out of stain.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 76 °F (ca. 24.44 °C) and the low was 66 °F (ca. 18.89
°C).
October 20, 2025 -
Journal Post - Bringing all the metal arches home, picking all the sweet
potatoes, and a lot of work
This morning, dad and I headed out. The first thing I did was replace the gate
at the farm for the old sifters. Once I was done with that, dad had me bring all
the metal arches from the farm to the house. While I was doing that, dad picked
all the sweet potatoes in the garden. Sometime when I was bringing the arches
home, mom went to the farm.
Once I was done bringing all the arches home, I headed back to the farm to help
out mom. While she was weeding and harvesting some vegetables, I spread out the
old burn pile, so the weeds could dry from the rain. Once that was done, mom and
I harvested all the sweet potatoes left in the farm. I brought up one load home
with the wheelbarrow. When I went back, mom had to head home to cook lunch
because it was noon, so I stayed at the farm, loaded up the last sweet potatoes
into the wheelbarrow, and then brought them home.
As I was unloading the sweet potatoes, mom said lunch was ready, so we headed
in.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad and I headed to the farm with the rototiller.
While dad rototilled where the sweet potato beds used to be, I worked on taking
all the weeds from the old burn pile and spreading them out along the farm to
dry, and so dad could rototill where the burn pile used to be. Once dad was done
rototilling, we headed home.
After a quick timeout, mom and I headed to the farm. At the farm, we made some
beds, and picked some persimmons. While we were at the farm, dad spent the whole
time cleaning the rototiller because we wouldn't need it again until next year.
And that was it for this busy day.
The high for today was 74 °F (ca. 23.33 °C) and the low was 56 °F (ca. 13.33
°C).
October 21, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work in the garden and the farm
This morning, dad and I headed out. Dad had me take out two stumps that were in
the back of the garden. I spent the entire morning working on taking out one
stump. Dad spent the morning processing the sweet potatoes we had harvested the
day before. Mom came out for a bit to help with the processing.
Once lunch was ready, we headed in, and that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad and I headed out. I continued my work on the stumps and
eventually got the second one out. While I was doing that, dad continued
processing the sweet potatoes and also did some work on the compost container.
Once I was done with the stumps, I cleaned the rototiller. While I was doing
that, dad planted garlic in the back of the garden.
Around 3:00 pm, mom headed to the farm. At the farm, mom harvested some
vegetables, made a few more beds, and planted some radish seeds, and the
following seedlings: broccoli, strawberry, rainbow chard, napa cabbage, and
mustard greens. Mom came back around 4:30 pm.
Once I was done cleaning the rototiller, I went into the parkette and began to
dredge out the pond.
Dad and I finished working at 5:00 pm, and that was it for today.
The high for today was 76 °F (ca. 24.44 °C) and the low was 54 °F (ca. 12.22
°C).
October 22, 2025 -
Journal Post - Sorting the garage and the final decision for the boat
This morning, we originally planned to set off the bug exterminator smokers
under the house, but due to the rain, we weren't able to. So dad headed into the
garage. He spent the morning sorting stuff on the first floor of the garage. He
also put a silver sheet on top of the dog house to protect Copernicus from the
rain.
Around 11:20 am, mom and Ethan headed out for Ethan's dentist appointment and to
go shopping. They got back around 12:30 pm.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, mom got a call from Mr Morishita about a meeting concerning the
boat. Because the old, traditional way of dealing with this situation was still
used, you had to have a good reputation in the community and know the right
people to get a good parking spot. So Mr Morishita asked if we were willing to
meet two other people in the community to maybe find the person who we could ask
about the parking. Maybe. We decided that that was a bit too much of a hassle
for something we didn't need, so we politely declined. So mom spent some time
making some phone calls and looking into other marinas. We thought one near the
beach shack had an open space, but apparently it didn't. Then there was another
marina a bit further away, which had open spaces. However, the spaces might've
been too large for the boat, and if a typhoon were to come, you would need to
either move your boat to a special protective area, or bring it onto land. Along
with that, there were the costs of parking, registration, and insurance. In the
end, we felt this was too much hassle for something we really didn't need, so we
are not getting the boat.
Dad spent the afternoon continuing his sorting project in the garage.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 64 °F (ca. 17.78 °C) and the low was 46 °F (ca. 7.78 °C).
October 23, 2025 -
Journal Post - Gassing the house and work in the pocket park
This morning, dad and I headed out. I headed into the pocket park to work on
dredging the pond, while dad got ready to gas the house. Soon after we went out,
mom and the kids came out. Once everyone was outside, mom and dad quickly set up
the gas bug exterminators under the house and into the foundation vents. Because
we couldn't go into the house, we all spent the morning outside. I worked on
dredging the pond, dad worked on raking the pocket park, mom did work on the
sweet potatoes and her seedlings, and the kids played together.
Around 12:00 pm, mom and dad headed into the house to open the windows and air
out the house. Once they were done, mom and the kids headed in. Dad and I stayed
out until lunch was ready, and once it was, we headed in.
After lunch, dad and I headed back out. While I headed back into the pocket
park, dad worked on getting the barbecue going. He got it going fairly quickly,
and once he got a steady flame, he went over to the pocket park to continue
raking.
Mom came out in the late afternoon to start cooking. First, she baked some sweet
potatoes, and when those were done we all tried some. And then, mom cooked some
chicken and cow for dinner. Once she was done cooking, she headed in the house.
Dad and I kept working until 5:00 pm. By the end of the day, I had taken a ton
of muck and leaves out of the pond, and dad had raked a huge area in the pocket
park.
The high for today was 69 °F (ca. 20.56 °C) and the low was 47 °F (ca. 8.33 °C).
October 24, 2025 -
Journal Post - Cleaning the windows
This morning, only dad headed out. He spent the morning working on the big
windows in the front. First he took the windows out of the frame, then cleaned
the frame, then cleaned the window frames, then put the windows back in the
frame, and then sprayed the windows.
And that was pretty much it for the morning.
After lunch, dad cleaned the actual window panes.
While he was doing that, mom headed to the farm, and I worked on the windows in
my rooms. I took the windows out, cleaned the frames and panes, and then put the
windows back. At the farm, mom picked some more Asagao seeds, harvested some hot
peppers and beans, and did some weeding.
Once dad was cleaning the windows, he worked on taking the pups off the banana
trees. In total, he was able to get 8, and 5 of them had roots. Once he was done
with that, he cleaned the giant window that was in the dining room.
And that was pretty much it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 25, 2025 -
Journal Post - Putting in new lights and setting up all the instruments
Because of the rain, we spent the morning in the house. I spent it in my room.
Dad and mom spent the morning working on replacing nearly all the fluorescent
lights in the house with the incandescent lights they had bought recently. By
the time lunch was ready, all the lights, except for the one in the entry, were
replaced.
After lunch, dad did a bit more work on the lights and then decorated the living
room with the kids in preparation for Halloween. Once they were done with that,
dad got to work on setting up the last instruments. He set up the piano, and
even got the karaoke machine working.
And that was it until after dinner. After dinner, we all headed into the music
room to hang out and play music. While we were all hanging out, dad worked on
setting up the drums. Dad and Lael stayed up until almost midnight setting up,
but they finished it!
And that was it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 26, 2025 -
Journal Post - A relaxing day in the house
When we woke up today, it had just begun to rain. So we decided to spend the day
in the house.
I was up in my room all day. Dad did some work on the instruments, but spent
most of the day on his computer.
In the afternoon, Ayane, her mom, and cousin came over. We talked for a bit, and
then they headed back home.
And that was it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 27, 2025 -
Journal Post - Working on the banana tree pups, and my first day of shooting
a documentary
This morning, dad headed out, and I came out soon after. While dad got to work
on preparing the dirt for the banana tree pups, I headed over to Mr Takahara's
studio. I brought two bags of sweet potatoes and a bag of Asagao seeds. I
greeted Mr Takahara and gave him his bag of sweet potatoes, and also asked if he
could give the other bag of sweet potatoes and the bag of seeds to his
assistant. Along with going over there to give him some stuff, I also wanted to
ask his permission if I could make a short documentary about the process of
making Bizen ware. He accepted and showed me around the studio for a bit. I
asked what days I could come over, and he said I could some time in the
afternoon. Before I left, he gave me a bag full of hot peppers that his friend
had given him.
Once I got back home, I did a bit of work. I took the metal grate back to the
farm and brought back the sifters. I picked some persimmons from Mrs Budo's
trees, and did a little work in the other yard. Dad spent the morning prepping
the banana tree pups.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad headed out. He started to put the banana tree pups into special
bags. Around 2:00 pm, I headed to the studio to shoot some footage. When I got
there, he had some customers, so I headed back home. His assistant texted me
when it was okay to come back. So I headed back over and filmed them beginning
to put unbaked pieces of pottery into the kiln. Around 4:30 pm, they stopped
doing it for that day, so I headed home. Once I got home, I headed back to my
room.
While I was over there, dad had put all the banana tree pups and some sweet
potatoes into special bags for the winter, and also covered the stumps of the
main banana trees with a special cover to protect against the cold. And mom had
gotten all the trash ready for the light and battery trash on Wednesday.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 74 °F (ca. 23.33 °C) and the low was 45 °F (ca. 7.22 °C).
October 28, 2025 -
Journal Post - Burning the stumps in the pocket park and a little work at
the farm
This morning, dad and I headed into the pocket park. My job was to break the
dirt off the bamboo stumps with the hoe. The reason for doing this was to make
it so they would burn easier. While I did that, dad did a bit of raking, and
then got a burn pile going. The use of this burn pile was to burn some wood that
we didn't need, and most importantly to burn the bamboo stumps. Once dad got a
steady flame, he continued to rake the pocket park.
Around 9:30 am, mom headed to the farm. At the farm, she removed some of the bug
net, planted some seedlings, which included dill, chicory, coriander, and
calendula, and harvested some persimmons, bitter melons, and beans. Mom returned
home around 11:00 pm.
Once lunch was ready, we headed in.
After lunch, dad and I headed back into the pocket park. I continued breaking
the dirt off the stumps, while dad raked and maintained the burn pile.
Around 3:00 pm, mom came out to get the trash ready with dad. So dad headed in
the house to take off the last light, and then helped mom with preparing the
trash. Once he was done with that, he came back into the pocket park.
We kept working until 5:00 pm. But before we headed in, we moved the stumps I
hadn't yet finished onto the burn pile in hopes that some of the dirt would
crumble away.
And that was it for today.
The high for today was 70 °F and the low was 40 °F.
October 29, 2025 -
Journal Post - More work on the stumps, some work in the garden, and another
day of shooting
This morning, before we did any work, mom and I threw out all the lights we took
from the house, along with some glass.
After that, we all got into the truck and drove off to fill the truck up with
gas, and fill the kerosene tanks with kerosene for our heaters. We then headed
home.
Dad and I headed out soon after we got home, and mom came out a bit later and
got into the bus to go shopping.
Dad and I spent the morning in the pocket park working on the burn pile. We had
to light a flame again, and then tried our best to keep it going. However, that
was quite a challenge with the amount of mud caked on to the roots. Dad also did
a bit more raking.
Once mom got home, we headed in for lunch.
After lunch, around 2:00 pm, I headed over to Mr Takahara's studio for my second
day of shooting.
While I was over there, dad got the BBQ going to cook some cow and chicken,
planted some sweet potatoes, radish, dill, and garlic into the mushroom
substrate, and did some more work on the burn pile.
I got home around 5:00 pm, and mom and dad came in once they finished cooking.
And that was it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 30, 2025 -
Journal Post - More work on the stumps, and work on the peas
This morning, before we headed out, mom and dad set up the small lights in the
play room and music room.
Once they were done with that, dad and I headed out. While dad worked on making
a sort of trellis for the peas, I headed into the pocket park and started to
dismantle the burn pile.
A little while after dad and I came out, mom went shopping for lunch and to buy
a few more Halloween related things.
Once I had the pile dismantled, I then used the hoe to break the dirt off the
stumps of bamboo that hadn't burned.
Once mom returned home, dad and I headed in for lunch.
After lunch, only dad headed back out. While he was out, he finished making the
trellis for the peas, and he also made a sign at the driveway that read "Happy
Halloween!".
And that was pretty much it for today.
I do not have the temperatures for today.
October 31, 2025 -
Journal Post - Happy Halloween!
Today is Halloween, which means party day! Everyone except the Irie family
couldn't come, so it would be a small party.
We spent all day in the house preparing for the party.
Around 6:00 pm, the Irie family came over, and they left around 10:30 pm. It was
a super fun party, and we all had a great time.
I do not have the temperatures for today. |
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